Takumi Aldini
Takumi Aldini (タクミ・アルディーニ Takumi Aldini) is a 92nd Generation student of Tōtsuki Culinary Academy. Hailing from Italy, Takumi is the self-proclaimed rival of Sōma Yukihira and the twin brother of Isami Aldini. Appearance Takumi has blue eyes and short blonde hair with a fringe that parts to both sides and one long bang in between the two. As noted by many individuals, Takumi is very handsome, so much so that he has a fan club dedicated to him. Even some of the older women in the audience during his 43rd Autumn Election noted his handsomeness. He wears a standard Tōtsuki School Uniform depending on the seasons. He also wears a customized chef's uniform that was made when he used to cook at his family's restaurant. The name of his family's restaurant, Trattoria Aldini, is stitched onto his left sleeve. His chef's uniform in his youth is exactly the same as it is now, but smaller. Takumi is also very fashionable during non-schooling hours, wearing a well coordinated, stylish attire instead of normal clothes. Takumi states that dressing up fashionably is a way of loving one's self. Personality Takumi is a hot-blooded student who holds a strong rivalry with Sōma Yukihira, though this rivalry is somewhat one-sided with Takumi pursuing this rivaly much more intensely than Sōma, though Sōma does acknowledge Takumi as a rival. Like Sōma, he hails from a family owned restaurant, which he holds with pride and will defend its name when a challenge presents itself. Takumi hates to lose and is rather bitter in defeat. He is also easily flustered and embarrassed when he makes a mistake or when someone glazes over his declarations. He also speaks italian and has his own catchphrase, "buon appetito", which he says after someone eats his dishes. He has a particularly close bond with his younger twin brother Isami. Though Takumi is a vastly superior chef compared to his brother, he is always there for his brother and helps him to become a better chef so that they can run Trattoria Aldini together. However, Isami tends to laugh a lot when Takumi faults himself, causing Takumi to snap at him. Nevertheless, the two work together through most challenges. If anyone were to insult Isami because he is inferior to Takumi, Takumi takes it personally and will do his best to silence all critics no matter who they may be. History Born to Japanese-Italian blood parents, Takumi and his twin brother, Isami, grew up in Florence, Italy with their uncle, owner of Trattoria Aldini. Takumi started learning how to cook at the age of 5 by his uncle and eventually mastered italian cuisine. Takumi was notably more talented than Isami and was constantly requested by the Trattoria Aldini patrons for him to cook their meals. After Isami altered an order in the hopes of surpassing Takumi, Takumi later consoled Isami and told him that he needed him in order to be the great chef that he was. The two vowed to combine their strengths and help make Trattoria Aldini the best restaurant in Italy. When Takumi and Isami reached the middle school level, his uncle recommnded that the two attend Tōtsuki Culinary Academy, a world renowned cooking school famous for its high quality graduates despite the low graduation rate. Takumi and Isami took up the challenge and departed to Japan to become the top students in the most prestigious cooking academy in the world. Before they departed, their father gave both of them a bottle of Aldini Olive Oil to be a memento and protective charm as they headed to Japan. Plot Early Life in Tōtsuki Culinary Academy Takumi and Isami successfully enrolled in the school and had made it through the middle school section. During their High School first year orientation ceremony, Takumi stood among his fellow 92nd Generation Students as the director of Tōtsuki Culinary Academy, Senzaemon Nakiri, welcomed the 92nd Generation into Tōtsuki Academy High School, but warned them that of the 1000 students present, less than ten will graduate. Following Senzaemon was the only student to pass the High School entrance exam, Sōma Yukihira. After giving what would become his most infamous speech, declaring that he would stand at the top of Tōtsuki, Takumi developed a rivalry with Sōma. More so because Sōma taunted his classmates because he has real life kitchen experience, something that Takumi had as well. Tōtsuki Friendship and Rapport Training Camp Main Article: Hellish Training Camp Arc Several weeks into the school term, Takumi came to the Tōtsuki Villa for the Tōtsuki Friendship and Rapport Training Camp. First Day Takumi's first assignment was supervised by Hinako Inui, who gave task to create a Japanese cuisine dish using any ingredients procured within the boundary of the testing site. As the students began to partner up, Takumi approached Sōma and deliberately stomped his foot. Takumi told Sōma that he would defeat him during the assignment, by asking the proctor to judge whose dish is better between the two. However; he was found humiliated when Hinako refused his proposal. He is then dragged out of the kitchen by Isami, as he told Sōma that he will beat him one day. After Takumi and Isami gathered their ingredients, they returned to the kitchen. While most of the students had caught a fish for the basis for their dish, Takumi brought in something different, an aigamo duck. Takumi and Isami arrived at their kitchen station and promptly began to cook. As Takumi cooked, Sōma and Megumi off to the side watched, as Sōma realized that Takumi's skill was that of a person who had been in a restaurant kitchen before. After Takumi put the aigamo into the oven to cook, Takumi formally introduced himself to Sōma and told him that, like him, he too has pride in his own family's restaurant and refuses to lose to Sōma. Takumi then took out his secret weapon, a mezzaluna, a special knife in Italian Cuisine and quickly used it to reduce some ingredients into a paste in a matter of seconds. Trading off with Isami, Takumi brought the Aigamo out of the oven then dressed it with a sauce that they had just made using the mezzaluna, finishing their dish. Without using up an hour of their time, Takumi presented his dish to Inui, an Aigamo Grilled with Spices. The depth of flavor immediately impressed Inui, who felt as if she was being sung an aria. Off to the side, many of the students noticed that he had used a salsa verde to dress his dish, however Inui corrected them, saying that he used uruka to improvise a Japanese style salsa verde, thus maintaining that it is a Japanese dish, but with an Italian twist. Inui passed Takumi and his brother. As Takumi told Sōma that he had the advantage since he presented first, Inui remembered that Takumi wanted her to judge whose dish was better. She finally agreed to judge the dishes and added that whoever lost must bow before the other and call themselves a dejected loser three times. Fired up from the challenge, Sōma planned out his dish. Much to Takumi's surprise, Sōma took Inui's kaki seeds and gave it to Takumi to hold as he had planned to use them in his dish. Takumi impatiently waited for Sōma to gather his ingredients until Sōma returned with less than fifteen minutes left. Takumi accidentally crushed the kaki seeds, but thankfully Sōma didn't mind. As Sōma and Megumi cooked, Takumi deduced based on his ingredients that he was going to use the kaki seeds as a coating for a deep fry. Sōma and Megumi presented their finished dish, a Char Okakiage, which impressed Inui with their ingenuity with the kaki seeds and passed the duo. As time expired, Takumi asked Inui to decide whose dish was superior. Unfortunately Inui could not choose a decisive winner and declared that the duel was a draw, much to the annoyance of Takumi and Sōma. Takumi declared that they will settle the score in a Shokugeki the next time they meet. Unfortunately for Takumi, the two sat next to each other on the bus back to the Villa. As he reflected on the challenge, Takumi felt a sense of defeat despite the fact that they tied. Returning to the Villa, the students who had returned were tasked with cooking 50 meals for the hotel guests. Much to his disappointment, Sōma finished his quota just slightly before he did. After Takumi fulfilled his quota, he quickly rushed to the hot springs where Sōma was already there, talking to Gin Dōjima, the head chef of the Villa and a Tōtsuki legend. As Dōjima departed, Takumi asked Sōma about what they were talking about. Fourth Day Breakfast Challenge Takumi made it through the next two days without a problem, but he had heard rumors about a [[Yukihira-Tadokoro Vs. Shinomiya Shokugeki|''Shokugeki'' between Sōma and Shinomiya]]. On the night of the third day, Takumi and the rest of the remaining students gathered in the Main hall where he confronted Sōma about the rumors along with Ikumi Mito. Sōma confirmed that this Shokugeki happened, causing the two to believe that he had won, however Sōma told them that he lost the duel. Before they could ask him for more details, Gin Dōjima stepped on stage to announce their assignment for the next morning: to create a breakfast egg dish for the hotel guests and staff. Realizing that there was no time to sleep, most of the students began to collapse from the stress. But not Takumi, who saw the challenge as another opportunity to surpass Sōma. However his rival was too distracted by asking Isami about Italian egg dishes. Takumi stopped Isami from divulging further and dragged his brother to a kitchen to begin preparing their dish for the breakfast challenge. After making a few test dishes, Takumi finalized his dish for the next morning and promptly went to bed. The next morning, Takumi was assigned to Hall A along with Sōma, Megumi, and Erina Nakiri. Though Sōma could not hear him due to the distance between their kitchen stations, Takumi told Sōma that he will win the test. As the challenge began, Takumi unveiled his breakfast dish, an Insalata Frittata. The combination of the frittata and the healthy salad garnered praise from some of the staff members. Takumi continued to serve his dishes at a consistent rate until he successfully serve the 200 dish quota for the challenge. With the challenge completed, Takumi decided to see how Sōma was faring. Much to his surprise, in the time it took him to serve his 200 dishes, Sōma had not served more than ten dishes. His unfortunate dish choice hindered him greatly, causing him to fall behind, but much to Takumi's relief, thanks to Sōma's quick thinking, he served his 200 dish quota with only seconds to spare. Despite the fact that they had passed the challenge, Takumi had no time to rest as the camp still had more to offer. The Final Day As the fifth day concluded, the students were summoned to the main hall for one last assignment announcement. Takumi, like the rest of his classmates, was already pushed beyond his very limits. Dōjima stepped on stage once more to announce the final assignment of the camp. After some inspiring words, Dōjima declared that the 628 students remaining had passed the camp and the doors to the banquet hall opened for a lavish feast for those who had survived the camp. Takumi and Isami enjoyed the meal together and the next day, Takumi returned to Tōtsuki. 43rd Autumn Election Main Article: Tōtsuki Autumn Election Arc A few months after the Training Camp, Tōtsuki Academy announced the 60 first year students chosen to participate in the 43rd Annual Tōtsuki Autumn Election. Among the 60 students chosen was Takumi along with his twin brother Isami and his rival Sōma. Takumi was happy to know that their first true battle would happen before an official Shokugeki. Unfortunately, Sōma was too distracted talking to Ikumi and he skimmed over his comment, much to Takumi's frustration. Nevertheless, Takumi promised Sōma that he'd return from their summer break ready for the Preliminaries. For the first few days, Takumi worked with Isami in a kitchen to begin to develop their curry dish for the Preliminaries. However, Takumi decided to return to Italy for further preparation while Isami told him that he was going to stay in Japan so he could prepare on his own. Tōtsuki Autumn Election: Preliminary Round After a month of preparation, Takumi returned to Tōtsuki and joined the 59 other participants for the Autumn Election Preliminaries. Upon his arrival, he immediately looked for Sōma. Much to his annoyance, Sōma had developed another rivalry with Akira Hayama. Though Takumi tried to remind Sōma that he was his true rival, Sōma was too distracted by Isami's sudden radical transformation. Before Takumi could start up his statement again, the lights in the hall dimmed, preventing Takumi from saying what he needed to. After a few inspiring words from Senzaemon, the Preliminary round officially began. Takumi bid farewell to Sōma as he and Isami headed to the "B" Block area. Takumi set off to work immediately as the cooking period began. Meanwhile, the head judge of the "B" Block, Orie Sendawara, took special interest in Takumi, who was busy cutting pasta using his mezzaluna. His speed and precision with his knife garnered amazement from the crowd. Takumi told Isami, who was in a neighboring station, to cook with the intention of defeating him. Isami then told him not to cry if he lost. Takumi continued to cook and put the finishing touches on his dish. As the judging round began, Takumi joined Isami as they watched the judging begin. Many of the initial dishes presented for the judges were met with incredibly low scores. Most were unable to get any more than 50 points which Kita Osaji considered a passing score. However, the scoring trend ended with Nao Sadatsuka, whose Jet Black Curry Laksa earned the first satisfactory score with 84 points. Eventually it was Isami's turn and he presented his Curry Bread Calzone, earning him a score of 87. Takumi presented his Naporitan Curry Fettucine right after Isami. Though the ordinary appearance of his Fettucine initially paled in comparison to Isami's calzone, the judges were stunned into silence as the rich flavor of the fettucine resonated through their heads. The judges could taste cheese, but they could not see any. Takumi told them to look inside of the pasta and the judges found parmesan cheese layered into the pasta. Takumi's originality and ingenuity of his dish earned him a score of 90, surpassing his brother. At the end of the "B" Block judging, Takumi placed third and qualified for the main tournament along with Alice Nakiri, Hisako Arato, and Megumi Tadokoro. Tōtsuki Autumn Election: Before the Main Tournament After the Preliminary round concluded, Takumi and Isami went to Polar Star Dormitory to celebrate Sōma, Megumi, and his qualification for the Main Tournament. Takumi blended in well at the party, but like Isami and Ikumi, they were initially disturbed by Satoshi Isshiki's naked apron gag. Satoshi told him that the Main Tournament will begin two weeks after the preliminaries. Takumi told Sōma to win until they could have their fateful duel. As the party continued, Takumi's "hot-blooded switch" mysteriously flipped, causing him to mutter to himself. Exhausted from the party, Takumi spent the night at Polar Star and returned home the next morning. Tōtsuki Autumn Election: Main Tournament Quarterfinals Main Article: Aldini Vs. Mimasaka Quarterfinal Shokugeki The day before the Main Tournament, Takumi was summoned to Tōtsuki HQ to learn about his match's dish theme and his opponent. However his match would not be until the second day. During the first day of the Main Tournament, Takumi watched the match between Sōma and Alice Nakiri as well as Megumi and Ryō Kurokiba. After their matches concluded, Takumi met up with Isami and the Polar Star residents outside of the venue. Takumi congratulated Sōma for his win and told him to look forward to their match. Sōma was confused because Takumi's match was the following day, but Takumi explained that the winners from the quarterfinals would be shuffled for the Semifinals, meaning that Sōma could battle any one of the winners. Takumi also congratulated Megumi for her exemplary performance in her match despite the fact that she lost. Later that night, Takumi was trying to relax for his match, however Isami was too busy worrying about him. Isami restlessly was doing all he could to prepare Takumi. Takumi assured him that he would not lose his match and would show the world the power of Italian Cuisine. While preparing for his match, Takumi was stalked by Subaru Mimasaka, who was his Main Tournament opponent while mumbling about his profile. After he finished his preparations, he saw Sōma and Megumi lost in the waiting are and invited them along with Subaru to watch Hisako Arato and Akira Hayama's match. Subaru preemptively declared that Akira will win the match and indeed, Akira won. Shortly after, Takumi and Subaru were cued for their match. On his way out, Takumi told Sōma that the tournament will settle the score between them from the Training Camp. Mirroring the end of their previous duel, Sōma told Takumi that he will wait to see who will crush who. Touched by his rival's words, Takumi left to get his supplies. As he entered his room, he found Subaru holding his Mezzaluna. Takumi told Subaru that he was aware that he had been snooping around him over the past few days. Subaru taunted Takumi, calling his brother a second rate cook. He then spat a wad of gum onto the Mezzaluna as he asked Takumi what it felt like to have an incompetent brother. Takumi, insulted by Subaru's disrespect towards his brother and his prized Mezzaluna, seethed with anger. Subaru told him that they should have a "special match" to make the preliminaries more interesting. As the two headed to the kitchen areas to begin their match, a surprising announcement was made: the final quarterfinal match will be a Shokugeki between Takumi and Subaru. Like all of Subaru's previous Shokugekis, Takumi's wager was his most prized utensil, his Mezzaluna. Before their match started, Subaru threw a few more insults at Takumi regarding his knife and Isami, but Takumi merely threw a glove at his feet and told him to pick it up. Takumi explained that the glove symbolized a Galateo del Duello and that Italians make their opponents suffer the same humiliation they receive when they are disrespected. If Subaru lost the match, Takumi declared that he would have to prostrate in front of the entire audience, the Mezaluna, and Isami as well. With the conditions set for their Shokugeki their match began with their theme being desserts. Takumi brought out his ingredients, however, over in Subaru's kitchen, he had the exact same ingredients as well. Though Takumi was a little disturbed he began to prepare his dish, however, with each step, Subaru was flawlessly mirroring his every action. Subaru asked if he was making a semifreddo which Takumi congratulated him on getting it right as he asked if that was a result of stalking him for the past two days. Shockingly, Subaru admitted that he had been snooping around Takumi for over two weeks ago. Takumi shook off the revelation and began to cook again by whisking his eggs to prepare his batter. However, Subaru did not copy him this time: While Takumi whisked them genoise style, Subaru whisked them biscuit style. Subaru followed up by taking out a bottle of "Limoncello Panna Cotta," a specific lemon liqueur that Trattoria Aldini used when making semifreddo. Though the audience saw the match as a hopeless endeavor for Takumi since Subaru has flawlessly predicted all of Takumi's choices for the match, Takumi was not ready to give up without putting up a fight. With a very limited amount of time left, Takumi searched for a way to overcome the huge handicap Subaru had dealt to him. As the stress began to pile on Takumi, he saw his bottle of olive oil, which was a good luck charm. Suddenly Takumi found his solution and finished his dish. Originally, Takumi had intended to create a three-layer semifreddo, however, he made a last minute improvisation and made a fourth layer to his semifreddo. The judges ate his new dessert and were astounded by the strong lemon taste. Takumi clarified that the fourth layer he added was lemon curd. Despite the fact that he lacked the butter to make the curd, Takumi substituted it with Aldini Olive Oil, creating a stronger body and flavor from the curd which Senzaemon called it a Lemon Curd Italiano Semifreddo. Though it had seemed that Takumi managed to defy Subaru's prediction and had saved himself, Subaru began to laugh manically. Subaru informed Takumi that he even took measures to make his dish, predicting that Takumi would improvise an improvement to highlight the lemon taste.Takumi stood in horror as Subaru was declared the unanimous victor as Subaru taunted him by saying that he not only got away with insulting his brother, but also he took away his chance to have his rematch against Sōma. Cooking Style *'Italian Cuisine' - Hailing from Italy and raised in his uncle's restaurant, Trattoria Aldini, Takumi has mastered Italian cuisine. Between the Aldini Twins, Takumi is a much better chef than Isami as many patrons of Trattoria Aldini would specifically ask Takumi to cook their meals. Overall, Takumi is the best italian chef currently in Tōtsuki. Other Skills *'Mezzaluna Mastery' - One of Takumi's most notable skills is his mastery over a mezzaluna, a crescent shaped, double handle knife which requires an extreme amount of skill, precision, and control to operate. Takumi, from his first appearance, has shown incredible finesse and speed as he has been shown reducing some ingredients into a paste during the Friendship and Rapport Training camp. During the 43rd Autumn Election preliminaries, Takumi used the knife uniformly cut dough into fettuccine in a matter of seconds, showing just how skilled he is with the knife. *'Cuisine Fusion' - Another trait of Takumi's cooking is the fusion of techniques of other cuisine types. Though his dishes remain heavily rooted in Italian Cuisine he has used Japanese and British cuisine techniques and ideas to give his Italian dishes a fresh, new twist. Dishes *'Insalata Frittata' - Takumi's breakfast dish for the Breakfast Challenge during the Tōtsuki Friendship and Rapport Training Camp 4th day. Though it is a frittata, it is meant to be eaten in salad, creating a healthy and refreshing take on the classic Italian egg dish. *'Naporitan Curry Fettucine' - A Naporitan dish using curry instead of pasta sauce. Though there appears to be no cheese, the fettucine noodles contain cheese baked into the noodles. It is a dish that crosses the cultural barrier with another Aldini Japanese/Italian fusion. *'Lemon Curd Italiano Semifreddo' - After Subaru successfully predicted Takumi's original Semifreddo recipe, Takumi took a last ditch effort to improve his previous Three-Layer Semifreddo. He added a fourth layer of Lemon Curd. However, with a minimal amount of butter, he substituted it with olive oil to enhance the flavor of the lemons. Combining the power of Britain And Italy, Takumi makes yet another fusion of nations! Collaboration Dishes Aigamo Grilled with Spices - An Aldini Twins original. Takumi and Isami created this dish during the first day of the Training camp for Hinako Inui's class. While most classmates defaulted with fish, Takumi found a wild Aigamo duck and created this dish. Though it had salsa verde, it used a special variant of it using uruka to create a japanese salsa verde. It's a fusion of Japanese and Italian cuisine! Cooking Duel Records Official Shokugeki Autumn Election Record Misc. Cooking duels Trivia *Takumi ranked 4th in the first popularity poll with 564 votes.Shokugeki no Soma chapter 56, page 2 *Takumi, if written in Kanji, can mean Artisan or Skillful. *Subaru Mimasaka noted that he has a fan club in Tōtsuki Culinary Academy.Shokugeki no Soma chapter 73, page 17 This has been been proven correct during their match at the Autumn Election.Shokugeki no Soma chapter 75, page 19 References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Tōtsuki Culinary Academy Students Category:92nd Generation Students Category:Students Category:Italian Character Category:Chef Category:Tōtsuki Autumn Election Participant